Nauthiz – Merkstave Meaning (Reversed)
Keywords:

Imprisonment, monotonous work, hard labor, distress from want and deprivation, hunger, being poor, hunger for emotional connection.
Interpretation:

nauthiz merkstaveThe Nauthiz Merkstave comes, and with it brings omens of distress and imprisonment. We may be bound by things other than bars. Our circumstances can bind us, continuous monotonous struggle, trying to dig ourselves out of a rut.
Inverted Meaning

There are those who believe that Nauthiz cannot be reversed -- and others who say that it can. With this particular rune, this decision must be made by the reader based upon the nature of the reading. A possible inverted interpretation is as follows: The shortage is at it's worst and the only way from here is up -- bear this in mind during the coming struggles. Strong character is forged through difficult situations like this -- and fortunes made. Some of the most successful and enduring people achieved greatness because they underwent extreme hardships at some point in their lives.